The dragon Feijóo plants the knight Alejandro

BarcelonaIt's unusual for a party's leadership to not allow the president of a region to present a book at its stand. And even less so in Catalonia on Sant Jordi Day. But it's also unusual for him to publish a book to attack the state leadership for appointing and removing regional leaders by fingerThe fact is that Alejandro Fernández has finally been able to sign his book, In underwear off (La Esfera de los Libros, 2025), at the PP parade and not just at the student platform's "It's Over," as planned just two days before Sant Jordi.

With his lance in hand shaped like a pen, the knight Alejandro hasn't had to deal with the dragon Feijóo, whom he accuses, like his predecessors, of being a "human crusher of Catalan leaders." The leader of the Popular Party has decided to organize an informative lunch in Madrid and skip the Sant Jordi festival for the first time in three years. He had only missed it in 2022, when he hadn't even been president of the party for three weeks. But Fernández has avoided drawing blood by resorting to a classic refrain like former president Pujol: "Now's not the time, today is Sant Jordi." Sources within the Catalan PP, however, admit Feijóo's "discomfort" with this event.

The Catalan People's Party (PP) leadership and Barcelona's leading deputies and councilors were present, despite not agreeing with Fernández. However, none of them had a book for the author to sign. In fact, during the hour he was at the stop, the president of the Catalan People's Party (PP) only signed one. "We can't sell it," he explained to the second supporter who approached. Seeing that no one was taking the step of going to a nearby stop to buy it, Fernández opted to leave the stop after two minutes and chat with the PP congregation.

The one who did disembark in Barcelona was the Vice President of the Spanish government, Yolanda Díaz, who took a stroll through the city center at midday. Her route was supposed to pass by the intersection of Passeig de Gràcia and Carrer Diputació, but she ended up walking down Rambla Catalunya. Who knows if he did it to avoid running into the former Podemos leader, Pablo Iglesias, who was signing his latest book right there at that very hour.

"I don't think he'll come," the former minister laughed when asked by ARA. In his latest book, Intimate enemies(Navona), Iglesias settles scores with those who until recently were his allies and calls them "narcissistic" Díaz, whom he considers politically written off. However, the former vice president of the Spanish government is still popular, and crowds of followers have lined up to have him sign their book and take pictures with him.

What he couldn't avoid was having to sit next to one of the authors most ideologically distant from him: the economist Xavier Sala i Martín. It remains to be seen that between selfies, a Chavista supporter who praised him, and a man from Manacor who reminded him that his city is the only red bastion in Mallorca, Iglesias hasn't had time to discuss neoliberalism.

His partner, the former minister and MEP Irene Montero, also saved him from it, taking over from Iglesias right after to present We must have done something.(Navona), where she defends the work she did at the Ministry of Equality against those who oppose building "a more democratic, fairer, and more feminist society."

The one who has come with the white flag and without any desire for fuss is former Spanish President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. "Peace is what we need," he said in statements to the media after signing dozens of books of The peaceful solution(Plaza & Janés), where he advocates for justice, respect, and equality to avoid conflicts like those in Ukraine or Palestine. Today, unlike other politicians, he seemed more at peace.